In a sign of remarkable progress, the number of women-owned businesses in Singapore has more than doubled over the past 15 years. Yet, beneath this surface-level success lies a sobering reality: In Singapore, early-stage funding for female entrepreneurs fell by 39 percent, and no late-stage deals were recorded for women-led startups last year, according to Tracxn. Across Southeast Asia, funding for women-led startups plunged from US$871.8 million in 2022 to just US$198 million in 2024...

Coda, a digital content monetization firm headquartered in Singapore and Digital Garage, the operator of Japan’s third-party payment platform AppPay, have on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership to accelerate revenue growth for games publishers through out-of-app monetization and distribution solutions. The collaboration gives Japanese publishers a proven pathway to global growth and provides international publishers with a seamless entry into one of the world’s most...

South Korea-based LG Innotek, an affiliate of LG Group, has secured $200 million funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its production facility in Vietnam. LG Innotek said in a statement on Tuesday that it applied for the IFC’s Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL) last year to invest in the expansion of its production facility in Hai Phong, Vietnam, becoming the first Korean company to secure the loan. The loan has a maturity of eight years. “This IFC...

The Ministry of Digital of Malaysia is building an ecosystem to support the nation’s ambition to transform into an artificial intelligence (AI) nation by 2030, its minister said. “Every state has started some smart city initiatives. The problem is these initiatives and systems are operating in silos. We need to understand that for us to become an AI nation, we need to bring these initiatives to the national level,” Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told reporters at the...

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the Indonesia Technology Alliance (ITA), and the Tsinghua University Wuxi Research Institute of Applied Technologies (Tsinghua University) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish AI Application Cooperation Center in Indonesia. This landmark collaboration, signed at Tsinghua University signals a decisive step in positioning Indonesia at the forefront of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, Indosat said in a statement on last Saturday....

Against the backdrop of Singapore’s 60th anniversary, we must pause for a moment of profound reflection. SG60 is more than just a milestone in time. It is a powerful invitation to contemplate the nation’s journey and, more importantly, to firmly set our sights on the future. It offers us a unique lens through which we can examine the enduring principles that define our collective success – openness, boldness, multiculturalism, and resilience. In an age shaped by artificial...

Vietnam-based Vingroup has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PT. Sulsel Andalan Energi, a regional-owned enterprise in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to collaborate on large-scale renewable energy projects, with an initial focus on solar power. Vingroup said in a statement on the strategic partnership is a key step in the firm’s plan to expand its green energy pillar globally, aiming to foster sustainable development in Southeast Asia and solidify Vietnams position in the...

Amogy, a provider of scalable and efficient ammonia-to-power solutions, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector research and development (R&D) agency, have teamed up to explore and collaborate on the development and deployment of ammonia-based technologies in Singapore. The duo said in a statement on Tuesday that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the partnership supporting key priorities under the Singapore...

Brookfield, a global investment firm founded in Canada, has entered into a joint investment framework agreement with Malaysian clean energy firm Solarvest Holdings Bhd to jointly develop, construct and operate at least 1.5 GW of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects in Malaysia over next three to five years. Solavest said in a statement on Monday that under the partnership, Solarvest will bring its deep local development expertise and proven execution track record, having...

Building a climate deep tech startup in Southeast Asia means navigating a paradox: the region faces the most urgent climate risks, yet most climate tech investment flows elsewhere. While Asia-Pacific generates over 52 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions (McKinsey) and risks losing $2.8-4.7 trillion in annual GDP by 2050 (UN’s ESCAP), more than 70 percent of global climate tech funding bypasses the region entirely. The Asia-Pacific’s share of climate tech VC investment...

Cambodia’s clean cooking technology firm ATEC has raised $15.5 million in a funding round co-led by Lightrock and TRIREC, with participation from Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia Fund. The firm said in a statement on last Thursday that the funding allows the firm to expand its network of smart clean cookstoves that enable the issuing of data-auditable carbon credits that can be verified down to each household and integrated with carbon blockchain ledgers. The funding will enable...

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has on Friday issued the guidelines on social exchange platforms, paving the way for the establishment of Malaysia’s first social exchange to facilitate fundraising for social impact projects. The social exchange will provide a transparent fundraising avenue for non-profit organizations (NPOs) to raise funds for eligible social impact projects, in line with Malaysia’s sustainability and inclusion agenda, the regulator said in a statement....